Coca-Cola changing motorsports marketing strategy

Kyle Larson will replace Danica Patrick this year in the Coke Family of Drivers

Coca-Cola this year will have a different motorsports marketing strategy as it aligns the program with the company's overarching One Brand strategy. That strategy brings together Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero Sugar and Coca-Cola Life under one portfolio and markets them collectively. However, Diet Coke will continue to be excluded from motorsports marketing.

The company will continue to promote Mello Yello in NASCAR — even though it is not part of the sparkling soft drink portfolio — because it is such a good fit for the NASCAR fanbase.

The company has marketed Coke Zero in NASCAR before through race entitlements, but it mainly just marketed traditional Coca-Cola in its season-long marketing efforts at track, at retail and with endorsers.

Dir of Motorsports Marketing Ben Reiling said the brand is doing a "more overt" hard launch this year. This will apply to retail marketing, concessions, at-track marketing materials and the beverages that Coke's driver stable can drink on air during interviews. Reiling said that drivers could end up drinking Powerade or Dasani in interviews. Sports Business Daily